M57 Cazador
The M57 Cazador was a multirole starfighter in service with the United American Federation Navy from 2160 until 2168. The M57's relatively short service life can in part be attributed to the engines and weapons it was specifically designed for. At the time, mini fusion engine technology had just recently become viable and the M57 was specifically designed to accommodate this new technology. The mini-fusion engine technology the M57 depended was extremely unreliable and led to the Cazador needing maintenance almost constantly. The M57s laser cannons were also unreliable and were outgunned by most projectile weapons of the time. After being officially in service for 8 years, the Cazador was retired in favor of the F-65 and CVF-65 starfighters. In 2219, surplus markets continue to be saturated with M57s at low prices that are likely due to its unimpressive service record. However, resourceful engineers have found the M57 to be the perfect platform to modify with new technologies. This has resulted in civilians, companies, and pirates alike using the M57 in recent times. Description Design and Construction Propulsion Systems The M57 was specifically designed to be equipped with the new (at the time) mini fusion reactor. This decision proved to be fatal to the entire project as the unreliability of the new technology combined with the M57s inflexible nature was too much to handle. The mini fusion reactor often malfunctioned even when in storage causing the M57s to need maintenance almost constantly. Commanders were extremely hesitant to call upon M57s due to the fact that their availability was never certain and if they did fly the reactors had a tendency to give out at inopportune times. The Navy neither had the money nor the will to overhaul the M57s to operate with standard reliable reactors. When the mini fusion reactors were working they were able to operate at 82% energy efficiency which was a massive boost over previous fission reactors. Weapons Systems The M57 comes standard with 2 laser cannons, 12 external weapons hardpoints, and an internal bomb bay. At the time of its initial deployment, starfighter laser technology was still relatively new and the choice to outfit the M57 with laser cannons turned out to be a poor one. The M57's laser cannons were consistently outgunned by the projectile weaponry of the time and as a result the M57 was often passed up in favor of older starfighters to undertake combat missions. The M57's external hardpoints are equipped to carry craft-to-craft missiles, anti-ship missiles, space-to-ground missiles, or even conventional guided bombs. The M57 also has an internal bomb bay that is able to carry a small payload of roughly 20,000 pounds although in practice the bomb bay was typically left unloaded. Countermeasure Systems Post-Service Life The M57 has proven to be much more successful in its post-service life than during its service career. Its unimpressive service record has led to low price surplus M57s being widely available across the UAF. The M57 has recently proven to be an ideal platform for heavy modification, something that the designers did not originally envision. Nonetheless the M57 continues to receive a wide array of modifications from replacement weapons systems to full overhauls of the engine and the body of the spacecraft itself. The low prices have attracted a wide range of customers from pirates to small companies looking for affordable and modifiable spacecrafts. Most users who intend to use the M57 on a regular basis replace the much maligned standard reactor and engine systems. Some have been known to simply update the reactor with a modern mini-fusion reactor while others have opted to install full sized reactors and drastically alter the ship's hull in the process. Notable Operators * A group of pirates operating on the UAF frontier is known to be using several heavily modified M57s. Trivia * The M57 is one of the last UAF spacecraft to use the "M" designation before more specific spacecraft designations became commonplace.